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Trimble is working on innovative technologies that could revolutionise the construction and aggregates production sectors. Perhaps the most eye-catching of all of these is for the autonomous compactor and dozer system Trimble is in the process of developing. Scott Crozier is general manager of Trimble’s general construction division. He said that while this autonomous machine technology is not yet ready for the market, “It may not be as far away as expected.”

It could be a decade before Ireland’s 105km Cork-Limerick M20 motorway is finished, the government has warned. Road safety groups and businesses have been pushing for the €900m M20 motorway because of issues over fatalities on the existing rural route. Simon Coveney, Ireland’s deputy prime minister, said the government was committed to the route – the largest motorway project to be undertaken in the next 25 years, and money has been earmarked for it. According to Irish media, Coveney also noted tha

A new programme of road repairs is intended to tackle problems on Melbourne’s roads. The Victorian State Government is financing works worth US$129 million (A$183 million) to around 200 road and bridge sections across the state, in a bid to improve road conditions. The work will be carried out by three firms, Sprayline Road Services, Fulton Hogan Industries and Downer EDI Works. The improvements will include repairing fences, fitting new guard rail and signs, resurfacing worn sections of road, filling in

The controversy surrounding the driving of a new road tunnel close to the UK’s Stonehenge monument has deepened following a recent incident. A 3m diameter hole was allegedly drilled through an important archeological find, a platform constructed of flint and animal bone, located close to the site Stonehenge. The platform is thought to have been erected some 6,000 years ago, making it older than Stonehenge itself, and preserves hoof prints made by aurochs, giant wild cattle that are now long extinct.

Plans have been unveiled for a proposed road upgrade project in Scotland. These plans show the preferred route for the upgrade to the A96 between Nairn and Fochabers, towns which lie to the east of Inverness on Scotland’s North East coast. The project is being planned by Transport Scotland and will see the 45km road section being upgraded to dual carriageway status. The work will include building new crossings over the Aberdeen to Inverness rail links, as well as over the Spey, Findhorn and Lossie rivers.

South Korean contractor Hyundai Development has been awarded a major road project in Ethiopia. The firm will carry out the US$138 million project to construct a 143km road link between Ethiopia’s Tepi Region and Gore Region. The firm will commence construction activity in January 2019. The package of works was awarded to the firm by the Ethiopian Roads Authority. The project is important for Ethiopia economically as it will help develop trade and transport.

A new highway contract will be carried out in India by Welspun Sattanathapuram Nagapattinam Road (WSNRPL). The firm is a subsidiary of Welspun Enterprises and will work on the US$271 million project to upgrade the route connecting Sattanathapuram with Nagapattinam.

The contract for the second drive for the Karavanke tunnel connecting Slovenia with Austria is now once more being tendered. The project was awarded earlier this year to the Turkish contractor, Cengiz Insaat Sanayi Ve Ticaret. However this deal was then annulled and the firm prevented from reapplying. The Turkish company had submitted a bid of €89.3 million for the work. However this had to be rejected as the actual estimate to build the link sets a pricetag of some €121.5 million. The Slovenian road opera

California’s Bay Area Toll Authority is evaluating the potential for introducing electronic tolling technology on key bridge links in the state. The proposals would see electronic tolling systems being introduced for the seven state-owned toll bridges in the San Francisco Bay Area. Should the proposal go ahead, it would cost an estimated US$50 million to install the systems on the seven crossings. A decision is expected in early 2019 and if the go-ahead is given, the systems would be made operational durin

The new Monroe Expressway in North Carolina is now opening for drivers, which will cut journey times for many drivers in the city of Charlotte.